Brew draft equipment



April 9, 1940.

H. E. SCHULSE BREW DRAFT EQUIPMENT Original FiledDec. 28, 1934 INVENTOR.

HamarzE' Walse BY 7 fl WA 4TQ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 9, 19 40 i UNITED STATES PATENT o Fic BREW DRAFT EQUIPMENT Herman. E.,.Schulse, East Orange, N. J.

Original application December 28, 1934, Serial No.

759,440, nowvP'atent'No. 2,051,013, datedAugust: 11,1936. Divided and this application July. 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,335 i I 1 2 Claims. (01. 225-45) My present invention relates to. draft equip- Fig. 3' is a view partly in cross section showment of the type used in brew dispensingand ing a desirable faucet construction. while the invention in certain of itsaspects is Referring now to the drawing, the illustrative useful in other relations, it is particularlyadapted showing of Fig. 1 comprises the keg l shown; in '51 for drawing directly from the keg or barrel brew the parent case, with the cooling coil ll built already at pro-per dispensing temperature theretherein and illustratively connected at its, inlet in. The presentapplication hasparticular utility and outlet by means of branch pipes l2=and [3 in the installation and method disclosed and to the headers l4 and I5 through which cooling claimed in my prior application Serial No. 759,440 water is pumped for bringing to and maintain-. l0 filed December 28, 1934, and issued August 11, ing the contents of the keg at the desired dispens- 1936, under No. 2,051,013, and of which said-aping temperature. The draft rod It as shown in plication this is a division. position in the draft outlet protrudes thereabove, v Among the objects of the invention are to prowith the discharge faucet H, at its upper end. 7 vide draft equipment of simple and rugged con- In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown the details of a- 15 struction by means of'which-brew maybe reliably desirable draft equipment including the draft n dispensed from near the bottom of the keg tube and attached outlet faucet. I The draft tube. through a short course, discharging near the top I6 is encircled'by the conventional pressure gas 0f the keg and by the use of which the brew may inlet fitting or sleeve :3 the, upper end of which I be reliably delivered with the desired head or is secured gas tight to the draft tube by a wing collar. nut 19 to which is swivelled at 20a land piece 20 Another object is to provide draft equipment 2| pressing against a-rubber washer 22 snugly of theabove type by which the brew'is delivered encircling the draft tube It and lodged in a socket without the possibility of impairment in the 23 on the sleeve I8. course of its flow from the keg and by which in The draft tube i6 is also encircled by a sleeve v5Z5 particular the possibility of propelling the brew 24 the upper end of which is screwed into the 25. I

through any passage in which stale or fermented lower end of sleeve l8 and which is flanged at 25 beer or. beer incrustation has accumulated, is and carries a flexible washer '26 to rest on the substantially precluded. ledge 21 within the metal draft bung 28 in the Another object is to provide draft equipment head of the barrel. The'sleeve 24 is encircled by of the above type which may be readily disasa swivel collar 29v having finger grips or a nut 30 sembled when desired for convenient sterilization head 30 and threaded at 3i to fit into the metal thereof. bushing 28. When the draft tube is put in posi- According to the invention the draft tub has tion, its lower end will in the first instance, rest the discharge faucet mounted at the upper end upon the tightly fitting cork 32 in the bushingZB.

35 thereof and is substantially devoid of pockets or As the sleeve 24 is now tightened i o Place by 35 traps so that neither brew nor admixture of brew turning 0011911 29 s lower end extending ty with air become confined therein. the flange exerts plfissure'agamst e tightly I Another feature is the structure and correlafitting cork 32 in bushing 28 t osen t by ad- .tion of the draft tube and faucet for imposing a Ve ding t slightly. The draft tube I6 is now 40 resistanceto flow coordinated with the pressure readlly deprfessedlhrough the l g sleeve 40 applied to the brew in the keg to bring about disg i g gigg 28 mto the barrel Whlch the charge in the desired condition though the flow is only through the short course from near the The upper part of h draft 5 E bottom of the barrel to slightly above its head. ffiucet F m on Its Ppper {5X 1.61.111

I in the accompanying drawing in which is sirably encircled by heat insulating air Jac e shown one of various possible embodiments of keep thee enclosed dr-aft tube cold and to prevent sweating. For this purpose, a sleeve 33 of the several features of themvention, insulating material, Such as Bakelite or 1 Is an elevatlon wlth parts broken away canite, of diameter considerably larger than that showing the draft e pp t a keg f use of the draft tube, is rested at its lower endu h 50' a in the installation and method of the parent apa bushing 34 fast on th lower d f an upper" plication, section 16' of the draft tube, to which it may be Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal cross section cemented. The sections l6 and I6 are tightly of part of the draft equipment andits connecheld in abutting end to end relation, by screwtions, and ing bushing 34 upon complementary threaded 55 nipple or bushing 34' which is fastened to the upper end of tube IS, a compressible washer 35 resiliently taking the thrust.

A metal bushing 36 is screwed at 31 upon the upper end of the draft tube section [6' and exerts pressure against the upper end of sleeve 33 to which it is preferably also cemented. Into the bushing 36 is screwed the stud 38 of the faucet F. Preferably a double ply fine mesh Monel metal filter screen 39 is placed between the shoulder 4-9 of bushing 36 and the bottom of the faucet F and serves as a guard to intercept any loosened chip, scale or the like that might be entrained by the beer from the barrel.

It is, of course, understood that the draft tube I6 might be made in one continuous piece, but the sectioned construction shown is preferred as it facilitates disassembly for cleaning and also facilitates economical replacement of any small section or fitting that has become injured.

The faucet in general outline may be substantially conventional. It comprises a casing 4| rising from the mounting stud 38 having a chamber 42 with a sliding valve 43, the axial shank or stem 44 of which is guided at its rear end in bearing 45 and carries at its forward end adjacent the valve a perforated-guide collar 45 said valve operated by the lower end 4'! of the operating lever, extending into a corresponding slot 48 in the stem 44, the lever being pivoted to the casing as at 49 and having an upstanding handle 50. The valve has a spherical seating head 5! of rubber, pressed to closed position against a spherical valve seat 52 at the inner end of the valve nozzle piece 53 assembled to casing 4| by means of a union nut 54.

The passage from the valve seat through the mounting stud of the faucet, extends longitudinally downward at shank 55, continuously from the valve seat to the lower stud extremity. Similarly the wall 56 of the nozzle 53 extends continuously downward in its longitudinal direction from the valve seat 52 to the spout. The middle portion of the faucet lodging the valve guide 46 extends horizontally. The trough or lower portions of the faucet passages thus serve as gutters completely and promptly to drain any remnant of brew therefrom, without possibility of brew remaining lodged or trapped therein.

The draft equipment described and claimed imposes a low resistance to the flow of the brew which renders it especially useful in the system and method as specifically described in the parent case, in which the gas pressure supplied to the U brew of the barrel is substantially lower than the equilibrium pressure of the gas dissolved in the brew and in fact is of magnitude but little great er than that required-to elevate the brew from the bottom of the draft tube to the faucet near the head of the barrel. Under such low pressure and with the use-of the low resistance draft tube,

2. Beer draft equipment, comprising a draft tube section, a flanged bushing thereabout near the lower end thereof, a second flanged bushing at the extreme upper end of said tube section, an insulating sleeve encircling said bushings, abutting the flanges thereof and spaced from said draft tube section to afford an insulating air space therebetween for protection of said draft tube from sweating at the otherwise exposed portion thereof, a second tube section, means cooperating with said first bushing to effect union between the two tube sections, anda faucet connected to the upper end of said first tube section.

HERMAN E. SCHULSE. 

